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Spellraiser
Saint Lucius’ Secondary College. Or as I called it, Lucifer’s. Hell on earth.
Society’s rich roses enjoyed a first-class education here. Facilities second to none. Teachers trained to bring forth the best.
Then, there were the thorns - me and Meg. The poor on scholarships. Teased mercilessly as second-class citizens.
Mostly, we kept our heads down, letting the elite enjoy their 80s Eden of perms and perfume.
If we stuck to the library and didn’t try to move up the vine, all was tolerable. Just.
Until the roses started turning up dead, and everyone at school thought that I’d done it.
Spellraiser is an experimental YA fantasy novelete, threaded with mystery, murder, magic & possession, all accompanied by illustrations from the incredible Sofia Behnke.
"A dark and clever YA delight..." - Coffee, Books and Magic
Society’s rich roses enjoyed a first-class education here. Facilities second to none. Teachers trained to bring forth the best.
Then, there were the thorns - me and Meg. The poor on scholarships. Teased mercilessly as second-class citizens.
Mostly, we kept our heads down, letting the elite enjoy their 80s Eden of perms and perfume.
If we stuck to the library and didn’t try to move up the vine, all was tolerable. Just.
Until the roses started turning up dead, and everyone at school thought that I’d done it.
Spellraiser is an experimental YA fantasy novelete, threaded with mystery, murder, magic & possession, all accompanied by illustrations from the incredible Sofia Behnke.
"A dark and clever YA delight..." - Coffee, Books and Magic
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
120 pages, Paperback
First published July 11, 2022
2 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Tim Hawken
13 books58 followersTim’s first novel, Hellbound, was born while on the road, written on airplanes and in hotel rooms. The book was discovered on an online writer’s forum by Dangerous Little Books author CJ Werleman (God Hates You, Hate Him Back), who immediately recommended it to his publisher. Hellbound has since been followed by sequels, I Am Satan and Deicide.
Tim has gone on to win the AHWA ‘Flash Fiction’ Story of the Year twice (2013, 2020) and has been shortlisted for an Australian Shadows Award. He has recently contributed to best-selling books such as Dear Santa, Dear Dad, and Dear Mum, plus released a literary fiction novel under the pen name T.S. Hawken.
To get frequent updates about Tim and his work you can sign up to his newsletter on his website, or follow along on Instagram where he posts a 100-word, art-inspired story most days (@tim_hawken).
Tim has gone on to win the AHWA ‘Flash Fiction’ Story of the Year twice (2013, 2020) and has been shortlisted for an Australian Shadows Award. He has recently contributed to best-selling books such as Dear Santa, Dear Dad, and Dear Mum, plus released a literary fiction novel under the pen name T.S. Hawken.
To get frequent updates about Tim and his work you can sign up to his newsletter on his website, or follow along on Instagram where he posts a 100-word, art-inspired story most days (@tim_hawken).
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 5, 2023
Quick, fun and with a 10/10 illustration style.
I am pleased.
I am pleased.
July 15, 2023
2023 reads: 222/350
lily and her best friend, meg, are outsiders in a school full of wealthy students. they try to keep to themselves, but when students start dying, they must investigate to take the suspicion off of them.
so, the first thing that drew me to this book was that it included illustrations from one of my favorite artists. but THEN i also found out that each of the 100 chapters consisted of 100 words, and i was even more intrigued. i wasn’t sure how this would work and i was worried that the story and the characters might feel underdeveloped with such a short word count. however, i quickly became interested in the plot and the characters, and i would say everything was fleshed out pretty well.
lily and her best friend, meg, are outsiders in a school full of wealthy students. they try to keep to themselves, but when students start dying, they must investigate to take the suspicion off of them.
so, the first thing that drew me to this book was that it included illustrations from one of my favorite artists. but THEN i also found out that each of the 100 chapters consisted of 100 words, and i was even more intrigued. i wasn’t sure how this would work and i was worried that the story and the characters might feel underdeveloped with such a short word count. however, i quickly became interested in the plot and the characters, and i would say everything was fleshed out pretty well.
September 1, 2022
100 chapters of 100 words per chapter.
I love short chapters, so 1 page chapters felt like I was whizzing through this book.
Interesting story, good tension and surprisingly well fleshed out for a novella.
It did feel like there should be more to the end, but maybe he plans on doing another book?
Or maybe it's just me. I do have unreasonable expectations for tidy endings.
Or so I'm told.
I really enjoyed this and thought the illustrations sprinkled throughout were a nice touch.
Big thanks to Tim Hawken for hooking me up with a copy!
Looking forward to touring his back catalogue.
I love short chapters, so 1 page chapters felt like I was whizzing through this book.
Interesting story, good tension and surprisingly well fleshed out for a novella.
It did feel like there should be more to the end, but maybe he plans on doing another book?
Or maybe it's just me. I do have unreasonable expectations for tidy endings.
Or so I'm told.
I really enjoyed this and thought the illustrations sprinkled throughout were a nice touch.
Big thanks to Tim Hawken for hooking me up with a copy!
Looking forward to touring his back catalogue.
September 18, 2022
Spellraiser by Tim Hawken was a YA fantasy right up my alley. With its unique format of 100 hundred chapters of exactly 100 words, it was so fun to read. It also had some amazing illustrations by Sofia Behnke making it even more of a page-turner!
This is the story of Lily, who along with her best friend Meg are outsiders at their school, Saint Lucius Secondary College, because they got in on scholarships. But at least they have each other. Then students start turning up dead and everyone thinks Lily did it. Determined to clear her name, she and Meg uncover a whole new and dark world hidden from everyone. And that's just the beginning of it.
Short chapters really are my jam and that once again got comfirmed while I was reading this book. I always feel like I read much more faster and much more easily when the chapters are not very long. Now this is a story where each chapter has only 100 words so these are very short chapters and the book can be easily read in one sitting.
A murder mystery combined with magic and possession, Spellraiser by Tim Hawker makes for the perfect read for spooky season.
This is the story of Lily, who along with her best friend Meg are outsiders at their school, Saint Lucius Secondary College, because they got in on scholarships. But at least they have each other. Then students start turning up dead and everyone thinks Lily did it. Determined to clear her name, she and Meg uncover a whole new and dark world hidden from everyone. And that's just the beginning of it.
Short chapters really are my jam and that once again got comfirmed while I was reading this book. I always feel like I read much more faster and much more easily when the chapters are not very long. Now this is a story where each chapter has only 100 words so these are very short chapters and the book can be easily read in one sitting.
A murder mystery combined with magic and possession, Spellraiser by Tim Hawker makes for the perfect read for spooky season.
August 31, 2022
Thank you to the author, Tim Hawken and Seahawk Press for the review copy!
R E V I E W:
It was my first time reading a novelette and it was fun! It’s short but entertaining. I enjoyed reading this YA dark fantasy because it reminded me so much of Grishaverse and Cinderella is Dead combined. I’m not sure if there would be a sequel but I’m crossing my fingers because i want more!
I definitely recommend this to those who love YA, fantasy, and dark magic.
R E V I E W:
It was my first time reading a novelette and it was fun! It’s short but entertaining. I enjoyed reading this YA dark fantasy because it reminded me so much of Grishaverse and Cinderella is Dead combined. I’m not sure if there would be a sequel but I’m crossing my fingers because i want more!
I definitely recommend this to those who love YA, fantasy, and dark magic.
August 2, 2022
Comprised of one hundred chapters, each a hundred words long, and sprinkled with illustrations throughout, Spellraiser is possibly one of the most uniquely written stories I’ve come across in a while.
Hawken has crafted such a captivating story that pulls you in from the first chapter and keeps you hooked with murder-y twists, interesting characters, and an intriguing magic system.
I need more of Lily, Meg, Marcus, and Cox ASAP!
Hawken has crafted such a captivating story that pulls you in from the first chapter and keeps you hooked with murder-y twists, interesting characters, and an intriguing magic system.
I need more of Lily, Meg, Marcus, and Cox ASAP!
August 12, 2022
This story is so intriguing! I was constantly captivated and I could't put the book down.
I am a huge fan of fantasy worlds involving magic, and was not disappointed by this charming setting and memorable characters.
The flow of the events from the first pages to the last is unabated.
Crafted with one hundred chapters, each a hundred words long, and trickled with illustrations, Spellraiser lures you on an epic adventure.
I am a huge fan of fantasy worlds involving magic, and was not disappointed by this charming setting and memorable characters.
The flow of the events from the first pages to the last is unabated.
Crafted with one hundred chapters, each a hundred words long, and trickled with illustrations, Spellraiser lures you on an epic adventure.
September 21, 2022
I have never read a YA fantasy novelette quite like “Spellraiser” and I mean that in the best way possible. It’s a familiar storyline: a rich prep school where those of lesser means are constantly bullied and looked down upon, except that there is a magical mystery underfoot. In the world of “Spellraiser” magic is an accepted thing, so there’s no real need for the characters to explain what’s happening to one another, which helps given the novelette’s unique styling—100 chapters of only one hundred words. In this world, spells are basically spirits that give the wielder—or the person being possessed—a wish-like attribute, be it beauty, strength, invincibility, or even the ability to read minds. The catch is, you have to release the spell every day or risk being completely consumed, and you can’t have more than 5 in you at a time or you will literally burn up. That’s not our main characters problem though. Her problem is that students keep dying mysteriously and she, as an outcast, keeps getting blamed for their deaths.
It's no surprise that this was a super interesting and quick read; the chapter structure at times gave this book a lyrical style that I really enjoyed. The illustrations are stunning and fit the tone of the story perfectly, I just wish there were more of them throughout the book! I think my only qualm is that, while I think the structure and format is really interesting and pays off very well at times, it did mean that certain aspects of the story and its characters could not be explored to their fullest, which is seen most toward the end, but maybe the author will write a sequel? The story is complete on its own, don’t get me wrong, but there is plenty left that the author could explore without being redundant to this book either, just saying. But that’s why I’m giving it 4 stars, I think I’ll remember this book more for its clever, experimental formatting than for its characters. Still, if you like quick and dark YA fantasy, I highly recommend “Spellraiser!” And thanks to the author for providing me with a copy for an honest review.
It's no surprise that this was a super interesting and quick read; the chapter structure at times gave this book a lyrical style that I really enjoyed. The illustrations are stunning and fit the tone of the story perfectly, I just wish there were more of them throughout the book! I think my only qualm is that, while I think the structure and format is really interesting and pays off very well at times, it did mean that certain aspects of the story and its characters could not be explored to their fullest, which is seen most toward the end, but maybe the author will write a sequel? The story is complete on its own, don’t get me wrong, but there is plenty left that the author could explore without being redundant to this book either, just saying. But that’s why I’m giving it 4 stars, I think I’ll remember this book more for its clever, experimental formatting than for its characters. Still, if you like quick and dark YA fantasy, I highly recommend “Spellraiser!” And thanks to the author for providing me with a copy for an honest review.
February 10, 2023
This had a really cool concept, but the writing really didn't work for me.
November 22, 2025
I’ve quite enjoyed a lot of Hawken’s little 100 word stories on his Instagram page whenever they’ve popped up on my timeline so was really intrigued what this 100 chapter, each with 100 words full length story would be like and it was quite fun!
Spellraiser is a quick read and while it is sparse on detail with regards to wider worldbuilding because of how it has been written it is still super entertaining! The setting, characters and plot were all brilliantly brought to life both through Hawken’s storytelling and the brilliant accompanying artwork by Sofia Behnke.
I was left constantly guessing on the “who dunnit” side of things and was really intrigued to know more about the magic side by the end so if there’s ever a follow up story then I’ll definitely be down!
Spellraiser is a quick read and while it is sparse on detail with regards to wider worldbuilding because of how it has been written it is still super entertaining! The setting, characters and plot were all brilliantly brought to life both through Hawken’s storytelling and the brilliant accompanying artwork by Sofia Behnke.
I was left constantly guessing on the “who dunnit” side of things and was really intrigued to know more about the magic side by the end so if there’s ever a follow up story then I’ll definitely be down!
November 30, 2022
I was a little skeptical of the author's stated plan to write 100 chapters of 100 words each. I just wasn't sure what kind of story could be told that way.
I should not have worried. The story is very good with lots of depth and twists. I really had no idea where the story would go until the end.
The only issue I had was with the world-building (or specifically, lack thereof). With the limits the author put on the book, he had to jump right in to the plot. For this reason, I never felt like I had a grasp on why and how the world was the way it was.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I should not have worried. The story is very good with lots of depth and twists. I really had no idea where the story would go until the end.
The only issue I had was with the world-building (or specifically, lack thereof). With the limits the author put on the book, he had to jump right in to the plot. For this reason, I never felt like I had a grasp on why and how the world was the way it was.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 30, 2022
Wow! This was quite the rabble…
Readers can tell that the author had a lot of fun while writing this, starting with his Foreword. This must have been how Shakespeare felt when writing his sonnets back in the day.
Truth:
‘Best friends are the ones who take notice.’
This is a ‘fantasy novelette, threaded with mystery, murder, magic, and possession’ for teens with incredible illustrations by Sofia Behnke. And a library…don’t forget about the library.
I’d keep on reading more by this author.
Readers can tell that the author had a lot of fun while writing this, starting with his Foreword. This must have been how Shakespeare felt when writing his sonnets back in the day.
Truth:
‘Best friends are the ones who take notice.’
This is a ‘fantasy novelette, threaded with mystery, murder, magic, and possession’ for teens with incredible illustrations by Sofia Behnke. And a library…don’t forget about the library.
I’d keep on reading more by this author.
January 27, 2023
I’ll have a rabble with the lot thanks! A punchy collection of drabbles about magic, academia, friendship and murder with a library thrown in for good measure!
June 12, 2023
Flash fiction is usually not my thing, but I took a chance on this and... it's still not really my thing. The idea is pretty clever, but I just didn't like the execution.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews